While Italian hip-hop may initially seem as intuitive as Scottish opera, a quick check of YouTube reveals Jovanotti’s music as an infectiously unpretentious blend of pop and African beats that will have SummerStage rocking this Saturday night.
The free show features a convergence of pop superstars from Italy, Venezuela and Mexico that represent the global connectivity and collective ability to merge musical genres of dance, elctro, hip-hop and pop. Can haggis-rock be far behind?
Italian superstar Jovanotti is perhaps the best known pop/hip-hop artist in Italy’s history, regularly performing to sold-out stadium crowds throughout his native land. Jovanotti has consistently explored and integrated other musical genres such as folk, rock and even classical into his vast repertoire. He has proven to be as comfortable appearing on record with Pavarotti as with Bono. In July 2009, Jovanotti took a break from the stadium lights to do a run of small, decidedly stripped-down acoustic performances at intimate NYC and this marks his return to the big stage audiences expect.
Los Amigos Invisibles, originally from Venezuela, can always get a party started with their dance-inducing fusion of funk, disco and acid jazz. The band made a name for themselves in 1995 with their debut album A Typical Autoctonal Venezuelan Dance Band, which they performed live in a series of underground dance parties in abandoned clubs throughout Caracas. In 2009, the band released their seventh studio album, Commercial, a critical success that garnered the band a Latin Grammy for Best Latin Alternative Album.
Natalia Lafourcade is a superstar in her native Mexico. Her music explores the joining lines of bossa-nova and rock through a pop style that is coquettish, flirty and sweet in the style of Tori Amos or Bjork.
Last Wednesday marked the 4th annual Comedy Central Festival at SummerStage in Central Park and, in my humble opinion, it was the best. Outside of having the illustrious host of the nightly fake news program, Jon Stewart, himself on hand the show included all of my favorite contributors to the Daily Show over the past year.
First up was Rory Albanese, four time Emmy-Award-winning executive producer and writer for the show, and an accomplished stand up comic in his own right. Using his obviously authentic New York antecedents he gave a hysterical account of being ejected from a McDonalds while travelling abroad – remarking the high point of American technology in the last century was removing the bone from the McRib, while keeping the rib shape. Made me proud.
Next up was Rob Riggle who delighted the crowd with his accounts of his newly acquired spider monkey that he had trained to perform very specific personal services. Tip to aspiring monkey trainers – always maintain eye contact during moments of simian, uh, servicing.
Wyatt Cenac arrived on stage after Rob’s inspiring performance and quickly took the evening to another level with a dead on excoriation of the usages (popular and not so) of vernacular in referencing other ethnicities. (Yes, that word.) Witty, incisive and painfully funny.
John Oliver was next and immediately pointed out that he was not related to, or actually knew anyone at BP – “You all used to think this accent was cute.” The high point of his segment was when he got into it with a bunch of persistent hecklers. The hecklers were actually the park’s robust population of crickets which, with the fall of darkness and the heat, were almost as loud as John.\
Topping the bill was everyone’s favorite furious New Yorker – Lewis Black. My personal favorite, Lewis came out and worked himself up to an apoplectic frenzy in no time. This was enjoyed by the crowd, which had, because of the 95 degree heat, and the fact that this is after all New York, already experienced several times just getting there.
The entire evening was once again brilliantly hosted by SummerStage and the Parks Foundation which does a remarkable job in making these free shows available to all of us. This is one of the very few places in NYC that you actually get much more than you paid for.
Play Hiawatha for a day on the Harlem Meer – enjoy a fun-filled day of canoeing and water safety, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow optional. Bring water, sunscreen, and a hat. Life jackets will be provided. First-come, first-served. Ages 8 and up. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Location - The Harlem Meer, outside of Lasker Pool (in Central Park), Manhattan
For many years, urban parks across the U.S. sank into decay and disuse. However, as cities have begun to rebound — and as evidence of the economic, cultural, and health benefits of parks grows — investment in these valuable facilities has swelled. Many new parks are being built in surprising places, like rooftops, old railyards, highway decks, covered reservoirs and widened stream valleys – and the leader in the movement is New York City. By serving duty as everything from community gardens to schoolyard parks to cemeteries-for-the-living to recreational retention ponds, the urban parks movement is transforming cities for residents, families, commuters and visitors alike.
Peter Harnik is director of the Center for City Park Excellence at the Trust for Public Land in Washington, D.C. He will read from and talk about his new book, Urban Green: Innovative Parks for Resurgent Cities, showing the newest ways that “all built out” cities can add much-needed parkland.
This lecture is being co-presented with the Department of Parks & Recreation’s Common Ground lecture series and will be followed by a reception in the Arsenal’s roof garden. Seating is limited, and RSVPs are required. Please email rsvp@parks.nyc.gov or call (212) 360-1324 to RSVP.
Okay, the 2010 Central Park Movie Schedule has finally been released for five nights, Aug. 24-28. All together an interesting line up adhering to the “Iconic New York” theme. I’m holding out hope that “King Kong” is the original and not the remake, which comes in at over three hours, although the most recent version does have a vey cute Central Park scene. Unfortunately two of the best movies are pitted against each other on the 28th, in my opinion both are vastly superior to the subway hijacking re-make.
Viewers’ Choice – Visit WABC-TV through August 15 to cast your vote for Serendipity or Manhattan. We’ll announce the winner here, as well as on the WABC-TV site.
The eighth annual festival will be held for the first time in the landscape north of Sheep Meadow, behind Mineral Springs (mid-Park at 69th Street). Enter the Park at 72nd Street.
All screenings begin at 8:00 pm, rain or shine. Gates open to the public at 6:30 pm. Bring a picnic!
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